That is a shift that Rob Fishman is trying to capitalize on with
his new entertainment startup, Brat.

Teenagers used to watch the WB all week, Fishman told Business
Insider in a recent interview. "That's all disappeared in the era
of social media," he said. "There's no monoculture. No shows
everyone watches."

Netflix might have scored that type of hit with "13 Reasons Why."
But Netflix aside, Fishman thinks there's an opening in the free
digital realm, particularly on YouTube, to make scripted shows
with good production value, starring digital talent - some of
whom bring their own built-in audiences and massive social media
footprints to the table.

Fishman isn't the only one to look in this direction. Early
digital video powerhouses that focused on young people, like
AwesomenessTV and
Fullscreen, have moved in recent years more toward original
show production and owning content (versus taking a percentage as
a multi-channel network).

Fishman said he won't get anywhere near talent management. "We
are studio, network, and channel," he said. "We don't sign or
manage."

The Brat Pack

Right now, Brat is focused on creating YouTube shows for its
channel (which since the summer has grown to around
635,000 subscribers). The first shows center around a
fictional high school called "Attaway High," the location for
which was an actual high school that Brat originally rented for
three weeks to shoot.

"Everything has nostalgic, aspirational quality," Fishman said.
Brat shows include technology like smartphones, but aren't hyper
focused on it. The themes are meant to have a timeless quality,
like the 80s "Brat Pack" movies that the company cribs its name
from. The stars of those iconic films were not just the jock or
cheerleaders, but those who marched to their own beat, Fishman
said.

Brat's breakout hit is "Chicken
Girls," about three girl friends who "have been dancing
together forever," which has gotten over 5 million views an
episode on YouTube in its first season, and will be getting
longer episodes starting on Halloween.

"All these kids live vicariously through those characters,"
Motoki Maxted, who performs in another Brat show about a high
school newspaper, said of "Chicken Girls."

Fishman should know. His last company, Niche, helped social-media
stars make money from brands, and sold for
around $50 million to Twitter. (Fishman's partner in Niche,
Darren Lachtman, recently joined Brat.)

But that doesn't mean all YouTube stars can make it as
traditional actors. "There's no secret algorithm," Fishman said.
You can't just plug in numbers and get a hit.

Being a YouTube "personality is completely different than getting
a script and acting," Maxted said.

Motoki MaxtedBrat

Smart money

The big question when anyone is launching a venture in the
digital entertainment space is, "How the heck are you going to
make money?" Teen audiences might be shifting away from TV, but
that doesn't mean the money is.

Fishman said he wants Brat to be smart about how and when it
makes money - and he has a bit of runway, having raised
$2.5 million from investors.

"We are not talking about programmatic ad dollars," Fishman said.
"We need to make big brand [deals]." He could also see licensing
to platforms like Netflix, or Facebook, or Snapchat, and so on.
("It's not about being dogmatic about format," he said.)

But that's in the future. First he has to make Brat into
something that young people love and keep returning to.

The sentiment of careful brand building is echoed by Maxted when
he talks about his personal goals. "YouTube is my baby, I don't
bother too much with sponsors," he said. "Facebook I do brand
deals." You can't try to grab optimum monetization at any cost.

"I think a lot of people are more focused on attention, versus
longevity," Maxted said. "They don't care about the end goals."